Brake-lever.



UNrrnD STnTes 'PATENT Ormes.

ERASTUS M. AKERS, OF IONE, OREGON.

BRAKE-LEVER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 730,431, dated June 9.,1903. Application iiled November 17, 1902. Serial No. 131,743. (No modelTo all wton thea/y concern:

Be it known that l, ERASTUS M. AKERS, a citizen of the United States,residing at lone, iu the county ofV Morrow and State of Oregon, haveinvented a new and useful Brake-Lever, ot which the following is aspecification.

The invention relates to improvements in brake-levers.

The object oftheA presentl invention is to improve the construction ofbrake-levers and to provide a simple and comparatively inexpensive oneof great strength and durability designed particularly for use ontrail-wagons and adapted to be positively operated by a single rope orieXible connection.

The invention consists in the construction and novel combination andarrangement of parts hereinafter fully described, illustrated in theaccompanying drawings, and pointed out in the claims hereto appended.

In the drawings, Figure 1 .is a side elevation of a brake-leverconstructed in accordance with this invention. Fig. 2 is an endelevation, partly in section.

Like numerals of reference designate correspondingparts in alltheiigures of the drawlugs.

1 designates a brake-lever fulcrumed atits lower end 2 in the usualmanner and designed to be mounted on a trail-wagon at one side thereof,and consisting, preferably, of a bar of metal provided with upper andlower angular bends 3 and f1 and having angularlybent pieces 5 and 6secu-red to it adjacent to A the bends to form upper and lower openings.The lower opening of the brake-operating lever 1 receives a curvedratchet 7, having angularly-bent ends and designed to be secured to awagon-body by bolts or other suitable fastening devices and providedwith teeth having shoulders at their front ends. The teeth ot' theratchet-bar are adapted to be engaged by a slidable locking bar or dog8, arranged in a vguide 9 and provided at its upper ends with a slot oropening 10.` The lower end of the locking bar or dog 8 is beveled toform a tooth for engaging the ratchet, and a slot or opening l0 attheupper end of the bar receives a link l1.

The link'll has its upper portion arranged in a slot 12 of a lever 13,mounted on a pivot Y 14 and operating in the upper opening of thebrake-lever 1. The leverv 13, which is approximately L-shaped, isprovided with an enlarged arm or head 15,-having a curved outer edge,and the slot 12, which is curved, is arranged concentric with the curvededge, or approximately so. The enlarged arm or head 15 is provided atone end of the slot with a notch or recess 1G, into which the link isadapted to drop to permit the locking-bar to engage the ratchet, asillustrated in full lines in Fig. 1 ofthe drawings, and when theoperating arm or body portion of the lever 13, which is fulcrumed at itsangle, is swung upward io the position illustrated in dotted lines inFig. 1 of the drawings the link is drawn upward into the slot 12,thereby withdrawing the locking bar or dog from engage- The outer end oftheA arm or body portion of the lever 13is connected bya link 17 with .astrap 18, which passes overa pulley or roller 19, mounted in a topopening 20 of the brakelever. The top opening'is preferably formed byapiece of metal bent into approximately rectangular form and having theterminals extended at one end of the loop and secured to the lever 1 atopposite sides thereof. The link 17 has its lower end arranged in anopening of the outer end of the lever 13, and the strap 18 is preferablydoubled to form loops to receive the link 17 and a short link or ring 2lof a rope 22. Thestrap, however, may be omitted and a rope or otherflexible connection may be connected directly to the link 17. The rope22 extends forward from the brakeleverto enable the brake to be operatedata point in advance of the same, and when it is pulled thelatch-operating lever 13 is swung upward to lift the locking bar or dogout of the ratchet, and the brake-lever is swung forward. Vhen thebrake-lever is applied and itis desired to relieve the wheels of thebrake- IOO shoes, the rope is given a quick jerk and is suddenlyreleased. This permits the brakebar l to swing backward to the rear endof the ratchet before the locking bar or dog engages the same.

lt will be seen that the brake-lever is eX- ceedingly simple andinexpensive in construction, that it possesses great strength anddnrability, and that it is adapted to be operated by a single rope. Itwill also be seen that none of the parts ot the brake are weak ordelicately constructed and that they are not liable to become broken orto get out of order. Furthermore, it will be clear that when the rope 22is pulled and the latch-operating lever swung upward, as illustrated indotted lines. in Fig. l of the drawings, the upper link 17 engages thebrake-lever at the top opening thereof and forms a stop, thereby7throwing upon the brake-lever and the flexible connections all of thestrain incident to an application of the brake and at the same timerelieving the locking mechanism of such strain.

lVhat is claimed isl. A device of theel-ass described comprising aratchet, a brake-lever, a dog carried by the brake-lever and arranged toengage the ratchet, a latch-operating lever mounted on the brake-leverand connected with the dog and having a curved opening to permit it toswing independently ofthe dog, and provided with a notch to permit thedog to drop into engagement with the ratchet, land means for operatingthe latch-lever, substantially as described.

2. A device of the class described comprising a ratchet, a brake-lever,a dog mounted on the brake-lever and arranged to engage the ratchet, alatch-operating lever fulcrumed on the brake-lever and provided with anarm having a curved slot and provided at one end thereof with a notch,means operating in the curved slot for `connecting the latch-operatinglever with the dog, and a tlexible connection for operating thelatch-operating lever and the brake lever, substantially as described.

3. A device of the class described comprising a brake-lever having aguide, a locking bar or dog mounted in the guide, an approximately Lshaped lever fulcrumed on the brake-lever and provided with a curvedslot and having a notch at one end of the same, a link operating in theslot and connected with the locking bar ordog, and a flexible connectionguided on the brake-lever and connected with the L-shaped lever,subst-antially as described.

4. A device of the class described comprising a brake-lever, a ratchet,a locking bar or dog slidable on the brake-lever, an L-shaped leverfnlcrumed on the brake-lever and provided With a curved slot and havinga notch, a link operating in the curved slot and connected with thelocking bar lor dog, a guidepulley arranged at the upper end of thebrakelever, a strap passing over the guide-pulley, a rope connectedwith. one end of the strap, and a link connecting the other end 'ofthestrap with the L-shaped lever, substantially as described.

5. A device of the class described comprising a brake -lever having anopening, a ratchet, a dog for engaging the ratchet,a latchoperatinglever connected with the dog, a llexible connection extending throughthe opening of the brake-lever, and a link connected to theIatchoperating lever and to the flexible connection and arranged toengage the brake-lever at the opening thereof when the flexibleconnection is pulled in applying the brake, substantially as and for thepurpose described.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing-as my own I have hereto aflixedmy signature in the presence of two witnesses.

ERAsTUs M. AKERs.

Witnesses:

I-I. O. AKERS, M. S. MAXWELL.

